In a historic medical breakthrough, a Florida-based surgeon has successfully performed robotic surgery on a cancer patient located over 6,000 miles away in Angola, Africa—marking a significant advancement in global healthcare access.
Dr. Vipul Patel, Medical Director of the Global Robotic Institute at AdventHealth in Orlando, remotely conducted a prostatectomy—a surgical procedure to remove part or all of the prostate—on 67-year-old Fernando da Silva, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer earlier this year.
The transcontinental procedure was carried out using cutting-edge robotic technology, with Dr. Patel operating from Florida while da Silva remained in a surgical facility in Angola. The milestone event was part of a clinical trial approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and da Silva was the first patient to undergo the procedure under this program.
“This has been two years in the making,” Dr. Patel told ABC News, highlighting the extensive global research and collaboration that led to this achievement. “We travelled the globe, looking at the right technologies.
“Prostate cancer remains one of the most prevalent cancers among men in Africa, where access to early diagnosis and treatment is often limited. Dr. Patel emphasized the humanitarian importance of the project, stating, “In the past, they really haven’t monitored it well or they haven’t had treatments.
”The operation utilized a multimillion-dollar robotic system connected via high-speed fiber optic cables, allowing for seamless real-time control without perceptible delay. While remote robotic surgery is not entirely new, this was among the first successful implementations conducted at such a vast distance.
To ensure patient safety, a full surgical team was present with da Silva in Angola. “We made sure we had plan A, B, C, and D,” said Patel. “I always have my team where the patient is. In case anything went wrong, the team would just take over and finish the case safely.
”Reflecting on the achievement, Dr. Patel described it as “a small step for a surgeon, but a huge leap for healthcare,” pointing to the vast potential of robotic telesurgery to address disparities in medical access globally and even in underserved rural areas of the United States.
“This technology could one day empower emergency physicians, even in ambulances, to connect with remote surgeons for critical interventions,” he added.
Dr. Patel plans to submit clinical data from this procedure to the FDA, with hopes of expanding the reach and application of robotic telesurgery in the near future.
